Trump Signals Ending Shutdowns with a Game of Golf

President Donald Trump played golf Saturday for the first time since he declared the coronavirus pandemic a national emergency more than two months ago, leading to the shutdown of much of American society.

His return to the course was the latest sign that he wants the country back to pre-outbreak times.

Trump also planned Memorial Day visits to Arlington National Cemetery and the Fort McHenry national monument in Baltimore, followed by a trip to Florida’s coast on Wednesday to watch two U.S. astronauts blast into orbit.

The golf outing came a day after Trump said houses of worship are “essential” and he demanded that governors allow them to reopen during the holiday weekend.

It also followed guidance from Dr. Deborah Birx, the White Housecoronavirus task force coordinator, that it was OK for people to be outdoors this weekend as long as they took appropriate safety precautions.

Trump pulled away from the White House on a sunny morning wearing a white polo shirt, white cap and dark slacks.

Photographs that appeared later on Twitter showed him swinging a golf club and driving alone in a cart on the course at his private Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia.

CNN photojournalist @abdallahcnn got a shot of President Trump golfing today. He says the president is moving around the course in a golf cart alone but is golfing with three partners. None of the men are wearing masks. pic.twitter.com/WXYS6zDPNd

President @realDonaldTrump waved at my camera on Saturday while golfing at his Virginia club.His first visit to one of his golf properties since March amid the coronavirus pandemic.By CNN’s count, this is his 265th visit to one of his golf clubs since becoming President. #cnnpic.twitter.com/NBHofTOAnt

On Friday, Birx said it’s OK for Americans to play golf, tennis or other sports this weekend “if you stay 6 feet (1.8 meters) apart.”

She also said the Washington metropolitan area had the highest positivity rate in the country. The capital city’s coronavirusdeath rate is higher than all but four states: New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Connecticut.